UPDATED 3/19 11:10 a.m.
WMNF 88.5-FM’s recently fired news director and co-founder addressed a room full of his supporters on Monday night during the opening moments of the Tampa community radio station’s monthly board of directors meeting.
“I wanted to thank everyone in this room and everyone who was written a letter of support,” he said. “If I bought you all a beer, then it would take me the rest of my life.”
The comment drew cheers from listener-supporters (some wearing “BRING ROB BACK” shirts), but those who’d like to see the board uphold Lorei’s grievance over being unceremoniously fired on February 18 will have to wait to raise a glass.
“We will have a decision within a week, probably sooner,” WMNF Board of Directors President David Harbeitner told the assembly. What followed was impassioned and reasonable testimony from dozens of supporters who spent nearly two hours extolling Lorei’s service to the listeners and station.
There was also a fair amount of vitriol and frustration hurled at the station’s general manager, Craig Kopp, who made the decision to fire Lorei. Some volunteer programmers expressed disappointment in what they described as Kopp’s cold demeanor (some lamented that he hadn’t ever introduced himself despite their always being at the station; Arlene Engelhardt, co-host of “From a Woman's Point of View,” which airs on WMNF on Thursdays at 10 a.m., told a story about how Kopp once shrugged off an introduction to noted Bay area physician Dr. Lynn Ringenberg).
Kopp spent most of the meeting with his head down and taking notes, but he did raise his eyes to make eye contact with a few irritated supporters who called him out by name. CL has reached out to Kopp for comment.
"I take notes on everything. Always have," Kopp told CL. "Helps me process and remember information. Nothing nefarious. It’s how I work."
Mixed in with the endless stream of support were comments from Alan Lipke, a former news volunteer that was at the station about 15 years ago, who noted that Lorei’s “public representation of this station is at odds with his management of news employees and news long-term volunteer professionals.” But even he urged the board to rehire Lorei as “talkmaster,” adding that Lorei is one of the best talkmasters and interviewers he’s heard.
“Certainly one the best progressive ones I have seen here on public radio,” Lipke added (see more at the one-hour and 43-minute mark of this live stream). In comments to CL, Lorei confirmed that Lipke was indeed a volunteer at the station.
"[He] hasn't worked in a newsroom or produced any news stories since. Hasn't volunteered since. Very unique guy," Lorei said, adding that WMNF, along with several grant-making organizations, backed Lipke's production of a documentary about the Rosewood massacre, which WMNF aired several times in the early 2000s. "The doc was well done and won several top awards. He's now writing a book about a prominent African-American figure from the 19th century."
Lorei also took to Facebook on Tuesday morning to explain that he was also given 10 minutes to “make my case that the firing should be overturned” during a closed-door meeting that followed public comment.
“The board members were polite and listened closely,” Lorei wrote. “An issue that board members kept raising was ‘Doesn’t Craig have the absolute right to fire any staffer- even if his reasons aren’t valid?’”
Harbeitner told CL that he could not comment on Lorei’s statement on that meeting. Harbeitner did say that all board members who “attended the meeting were engaged in understanding all elements of this situation and actively participated in discussions with both Rob and Craig as well as how best to resolve this matter.”
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\\Damn\ boy\,\ BOD\ will\ have\ a\ decision\ on\ Rob\ Lorei\ within\ a\ week\,\ but\ if\ he\ is\ reinstated\,\ then\ he\ better\ not\ even\ try\ to\ retire\ from\ the\ \\@wmnf\\ for\ at\ least\ 100\ years\\&mdash\;\ Ray\ Roa\ \(\@rayroa\)\ \March\ 19\,\ 2019\\\ \\\
This article appears in Mar 14-21, 2019.